Tennessee River
The river appears on French maps from the late 17th century with the names Caquinampo or Kasqui. Maps from the early 18th century call it Cussate, Hogohegee, Callamaco, and Acanseapi. A 1755 British map showed the Tennessee River as the River of the Cherakees. By the late 18th century, it had come to be called Tennessee, a name derived from the Cherokee village named Tanasi. Ann Toplovich documented this evolution in the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture in December 2009.
The Tennessee River is formed at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers in present-day Knoxville, Tennessee. From Knoxville, it flows southwest through East Tennessee into Chattanooga. It misses Georgia by about one mile before crossing into Alabama. The river travels through the Huntsville and Decatur area before reaching the Muscle Shoals area. It eventually forms a small part of the state's border with Mississippi before returning to Tennessee. The final part of the run goes north through western Kentucky where it separates the Jackson Purchase from the rest of the state. It flows into the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky.
At Painted Bluff in northeast Alabama, painted glyphs dating to ca. 1400 A.D. have been discovered among cliffs overlooking the river. The first major battles of the American Civil War occurred along the river in 1862. General Henry Halleck considered the Tennessee River to be more significant than the Mississippi during the western theater of the war. Native Americans ate freshwater mussels found in these waters. Potters of the Mississippian culture used crushed mussel shell mixed into clay to make their pottery stronger.
In 1796 when Tennessee was admitted to the Union, the border was originally defined by United States Congress as located on the 35th parallel. As a result of an erroneously conducted survey in 1818, the actual border line was set on the ground approximately one mile south. This placed the disputed portion of the river entirely in Tennessee. Georgia made unsuccessful attempts in the 1890s, 1905, 1915, 1922, 1941, 1947 and 1971 to resolve what it felt was an erroneous survey line. In 2008, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution directing the governor to pursue its claim in the United States Supreme Court due to a serious drought and resulting water shortage.
The Tennessee River and its tributaries host some 102 species of mussel. It also is home to the rare freshwater snail Athearnia anthonyi. A pearl button industry was established in the Tennessee Valley beginning in 1887, producing buttons from the abundant mussel shells. Button production ceased after World War II when plastics replaced mother-of-pearl as a button material. Mussel populations have declined drastically due to dam construction, water pollution, and invasive species.
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Common questions
What is the origin of the name Tennessee River?
The name Tennessee comes from a Cherokee village named Tanasi. The river appeared on French maps in the late 17th century with names like Caquinampo or Kasqui before evolving to its current name by the late 18th century.
Where does the Tennessee River begin and end?
The Tennessee River forms at the confluence of the Holston and French Broad rivers in present-day Knoxville, Tennessee. It flows into the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky after traveling through multiple states including Alabama and Mississippi.
When did the American Civil War battles occur along the Tennessee River?
The first major battles of the American Civil War occurred along the river in 1862. General Henry Halleck considered the Tennessee River more significant than the Mississippi during the western theater of the war.
Why was there a border dispute between Georgia and Tennessee over the river?
An erroneously conducted survey in 1818 set the actual border line approximately one mile south of the 35th parallel defined by Congress in 1796. This placed the disputed portion of the river entirely within Tennessee despite Georgia's attempts to resolve the issue since the 1890s.
How many times has the Tennessee River been dammed since the 1930s?
The river has been dammed nine times since the 1930s by Tennessee Valley Authority projects. These dams created associated lakes such as Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley which support navigation for more than 13,000 recreational craft each year.